1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of balloon catheters. More specifically, the invention relates to catheter balloon and fiber mesh combinations and their methods of use.
2. Description of the Related Art
Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is a procedure, including ercutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), which is well established for the treatment of blockages, lesions, stenosis, thrombus, etc. present in body lumens, such as the coronary arteries and/or other vessels.
Percutaneous angioplasty makes use of a dilatation balloon catheter, which is introduced into and advanced through a lumen or body vessel until the distal end thereof is at a desired location in the vasculature. Once in position across an afflicted site, the expandable portion of the catheter, or balloon, is inflated to a predetermined size with a fluid at relatively high pressures. By doing so the vessel is dilated, thereby radially compressing the atherosclerotic plaque of any lesion present against the inside of the artery wall, and/or otherwise treating the afflicted area of the vessel. The balloon is then deflated to a small profile so that the dilatation catheter may be withdrawn from the patient's vasculature and blood flow resumed through the dilated artery.
In angioplasty procedures of the kind described above, there may be restenosis of the artery, which either necessitates another angioplasty procedure, a surgical by-pass operation, or some method of repairing or strengthening the area. To reduce restenosis and strengthen the area, a physician can implant an intravascular prosthesis for maintaining vascular patency, such as a stent, inside the artery at the lesion.
Catheter balloons are exposed to large amounts of pressure. Additionally, the profile of balloons must be small in order to be introduced into blood vessels and other small areas of the body. Therefore, materials with high strength relative to film thickness are chosen. These balloons require the requisite strength to withstand the pressure used for transit in a blood vessel and expansion to open an occluded vessel and the ability not to expand beyond a predetermined size and to maintain substantially a profile so as not to rupture or dissect the vessel as the balloon expands.
The requirements for the strength and size of the balloon vary widely depending on the balloon's intended use and the vessel size into which the catheter is inserted.
Areas of concern in balloon and balloon catheter development include hoop strength, molecular orientation, material selection, thermal processing, profile, burst strength, pressure capabilities, catheter trackability and pushability and plastic deformation, as well as others. These and other issues are addressed by the present invention to enhance product performance and to minimize the possibility of patient trauma and recovery.
All US patents, applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Without limiting the scope of the invention a brief summary of some of the claimed embodiments of the invention is set forth below. Additional details of the summarized embodiments of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification is provided as well only for the purposes of complying with 37 C.F.R. 1.72. The abstract is not intended to be used for interpreting the scope of the claims.